Many types of prior art machines are presently available which function to make holes or openings in turf for the purpose of providing aeration in order to promote healthier growth of the grass. Most of these apparatus are designed primarily for commercial use, such as on golf courses, although some models which are designed for attachment to a lawn tractor are available ostensibly for residential use. Most of these machines provide tines which are mounted on a cylindrical roller although at least one commercial type provides hydraulically actuated tines which are vertically reciprocated to penetrate the turf.
However, there is no apparatus on the market which provides a self-contained unit having a construction which lends itself to a more modest cost for use on medium to large sized residential lawns.
The known prior art aerators presently available are of such a size and construction which require self-propulsion which adds significantly to the cost. Other smaller models are relatively heavy and are designed to be pulled by a small tractor or the like.
Further, most of the prior models possess no feature to prevent damage to the tines if a hard object such as a rock or stone is contacted during use or to prevent damage to a concrete or other hard surface which may accidently be contacted by the user during operation.